Beauceron

About the breed

The Beauceron (Berger de Beauce) is a large French sheepdog and guard dog with a short, dense coat, marked by double dewclaws on the hind legs, which the Briard has too. The FCI Standard No. 44 gives 61–70 cm at the withers; it sets no weight, while the American Kennel Club lists roughly 32–50 kg. Two colours are recognised, black and tan and harlequin.

From the plains of La Beauce to the “red stockings”

The Beauceron comes from France, from the plains around Paris known as La Beauce. The FCI standard says that “Beauce Dog”, “Beauceron” and “Red-Stocking” were the names used at the end of the 19th century for the old French sheepdogs of the plains, bred to conduct and guard flocks of sheep; the “red stockings” are the tan markings on the legs. According to the American Beauceron Club, Abbé Rozier used the terms Berger de la Brie for long-coated dogs (today's Briard) and Berger de la Beauce for short-coated dogs in 1809, the first Berger de Beauce was registered in the French stud book in September 1893, and the parent club, Club des Amis du Beauceron, was founded in 1922.

Flock, army and police: what it was used for

The FCI standard names the breed's use as “sheepdog and guard dog”. According to the American club, two dogs were enough for a flock of 200 to 300 sheep in the early 19th century; as sheep farming declined, the French club promoted the breed for guarding home and family. The British club records that it served in both world wars as a messenger, supply transport dog, mine detection dog and search and rescue dog. Today the sources mention herding, personal protection, tracking, military and police work, search and rescue, and sports such as agility and obedience.

Size and appearance according to the FCI standard

The FCI standard describes the Beauceron as big, solid, hardy, powerful and muscular without being cumbersome. Dogs measure 65–70 cm at the withers, bitches 61–68 cm. The standard sets no weight, so the range of roughly 32–50 kg is taken from the AKC (70–110 pounds) and is not a requirement of the standard. The coat is smooth on the head and elsewhere short, thick, firm and lying close to the body, 3–4 cm long; the undercoat is fine and dense, preferably mouse grey. The ears are half-pricked or drop, the tail is carried low and reaches at least to the hock; natural ears carried totally upright and firm are a disqualifying fault.

Double dewclaws on the hind legs, and coat care

The FCI standard requires double dewclaws on the hind legs, forming well separated “thumbs” with nails, placed rather close to the foot. Single dewclaws or their absence on the hind legs is a disqualifying fault in the show ring, not a judgement of the dog's worth. The British club quotes an old saying of French farmers that a Beauceron without double dewclaws is not a Beauceron, and describes them as real toe joints.

According to the AKC, because dewclaws do not usually touch the ground they do not wear down naturally and may grow faster than other nails. Overlong nails can snag, break or grow into the skin. The AKC mentions removal only for loosely attached dewclaws, and that decision belongs to a veterinarian.

The short, close coat keeps grooming simple: the British club calls it “less hair to clean up”, so regular brushing is enough, more often during the moult; the sources give no schedule.

Black and tan and harlequin: two colours of one breed

The FCI standard allows black and tan and harlequin (blue-mottled with tan markings). In black and tan the black is pure and the tan is red squirrel coloured; the markings are above the eyes, on the sides of the muzzle, on the chest (preferably two spots), under the neck and tail, and on the legs, where they cover no more than 1/3 of the leg. In harlequin the coat is black and grey in equal parts; only there are wall eyes admitted, while in other colours they are a disqualifying fault.

The harlequin coat of the Beauceron is produced by the merle gene. An AKC Gazette article by Claudia Batson, published on the American club's website, states that breeding harlequin to harlequin is prohibited because of the severe abnormalities that could occur in the puppies; the French club (CAB) makes the same ban explicit for breeders who sign its quality breeding charter. The same article notes that a harlequin coat may darken with age.

Temperament and socialisation: a self-assured guard, reserved with strangers

By the FCI standard the Beauceron has a frank, self-assured approach and a gentle, fearless character; an aggressive or overly shy dog is disqualified. The American club adds a well developed guarding instinct and a natural distance from strangers. The French club writes that it barks little and only for good reason, and that it is a “one-master dog”, which does not mean it attaches to only one member of a family.

The British club lists plenty of socialisation from puppyhood and close human contact. The French club warns that a puppy that stays too long with the breeder without experiences outside that environment often becomes a timid dog, and that fearfulness can be hereditary and limited to certain lines; fear is worked on by gradual exposure paired with pleasant experiences, while coercive methods can, in its view, produce acquired distress.

Family, children and other animals

A Beauceron can be a family dog only conditionally: with experienced handling, early training and a thoughtful approach to children. The British club describes a large, active, very family-orientated dog that is generally easy to train. The French club writes that it turns soft with children but that its affection is sometimes rough; a dog of some fifty kilograms that wants a cuddle on your lap can be a problem, so good training has to make it gentle with children and frail elderly people. The sources reviewed give no data on living with other dogs or small animals, so this depends on socialisation and the individual dog.

Exercise, mental work, training and flat living

The Beauceron needs a great deal of exercise and serious work, so living in a flat is possible only conditionally. The American club points to a strong need for physical and mental outlets and says that under-stimulated dogs become difficult to live with and destructive; the British club asks whether the owner can offer a suitable lifestyle and accommodation. The sources give no hours per day. For a growing puppy the American club, discussing osteochondrosis, highlights proper nutrition and controlled exercise.

It learns well, but by the French club any unjustified constraint is unacceptable to it, and with a fair owner it does its utmost; the British club recommends firm but gentle training. The French club also warns of Beaucerons choking on tennis balls and recommends a ball with a handle.

Health: what the clubs and the veterinary manual say

The American club describes the Beauceron as a fairly healthy breed overall but lists hip dysplasia, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypothyroidism, gastric dilatation-volvulus, osteochondrosis and allergies; for breeding stock it recommends a yearly eye examination while noting that the breed is not specifically known for eye disease. For DCM and hypothyroidism it writes that the incidence is not known or is unclear. The Swiss club (CSAB) names hip and elbow dysplasia as the most frequent hereditary diseases of the breed, which it describes as rare, and the British club says the breed is not known for hereditary conditions but recommends screening joints and eyes; the mean hip score in the BVA/KC scheme was 11 in November 2022 (scale 0–106, lower is better).

Gastric dilatation-volvulus is, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, an acute, life-threatening condition that primarily affects large and giant breeds, with a mortality of 20–45% in treated animals. Associated factors include a deep, narrow chest, a first-degree relative with the condition, stress, fearful or aggressive behaviour, once-daily feeding and rapid eating. The American club places the Beauceron among deep-chested, large dogs considered at risk and adds that no test shows which individual is at risk; the Swiss club says the condition was more frequent in the 1990s and is very rare today. Life expectancy per the AKC is 10–12 years; the AKC gives no source for this figure.

What to ask a breeder

Ask for the test results of both parents. The American club recommends an OFA hip evaluation, an eye examination and a cardiac evaluation with echocardiography (it encourages elbow and thyroid testing), and the British club the BVA/KC schemes for hips and eyes. These are recommendations, not obligations, though the British club calls testing under these schemes essential for breeding stock. Breeders who sign the French club's (CAB) quality breeding charter commit not to mate females before 18 months of age, to use parents with at least grade 2 in the club's system, not to mate two harlequins and not to release puppies before 8 weeks. Under the Croatian Kennel Club (HKS) regulation the breed is on the mandatory hip dysplasia selection list: a satisfactory HD result is required for the breeding examination. Also ask about the parents' temperament and fearfulness. Breeders are listed in the breeders directory.

Beauceron or German Shepherd, Dobermann, Rottweiler and Briard

The Beauceron differs from the German Shepherd, Dobermann, Rottweiler and Briard in size, FCI group and coat; from the Briard it is set apart mainly by coat, since the Briard has double hind dewclaws too. By the FCI standards a Beauceron dog measures 65–70 cm (bitch 61–68 cm), a German Shepherd 60–65 cm (55–60 cm), a Dobermann 68–72 cm (63–68 cm), a Rottweiler 61–68 cm (56–63 cm) and a Briard 62–68 cm (56–64 cm). The Beauceron, German Shepherd and Briard are in Group 1, the Dobermann and Rottweiler in Group 2.

• Briard: a close relative; the British club cites similar ancestral stock and double hind dewclaws in both breeds, but the FCI gives the Briard a long, goat-like coat, the Beauceron a coat of 3–4 cm.
• Dobermann: according to the British club, the Beauceron was among the breeds used in its creation.
• German Shepherd: the FCI sets it a weight (dogs 30–40 kg), unlike the Beauceron.
• Rottweiler: the FCI gives a weight of 50 kg for dogs and approximately 42 kg for bitches.

What is said about the Beauceron and is not quite true

“The Beauceron is aggressive.” The FCI standard disqualifies aggressive dogs, and the French club writes that its stern gaze may have given the breed that reputation in some regions. Behaviour depends on genetics, socialisation and training. “Harlequin is a different breed.” No: Standard No. 44 describes both colours; the only special feature is the clubs' ban on mating two harlequins.

Who it suits and who it suits less

The Beauceron suits experienced, active owners with time for daily work, space and the will to socialise carefully. It suits beginners, families without time for training and flats without regular outdoor work less well. Under the conditions the clubs describe it is a loyal guard; without them it can slide into restlessness, destruction or fearfulness.

Pros & cons